‘Status quo' not an option for BCS

Associated Press

April 25, 2012

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — When Bowl Championship Series officials leave the beachside hotel in which they've gathered to hammer out the future of college football's postseason, they want to have the choices whittled down to two or three.

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The guys in charge met Wednesday for about eight hours to discuss overhauling how a champion is determined and possibly implementing a four-team playoff. It is the fourth such get-together this year, and they agreed it's time to start narrowing the field.

They will reconvene today, and BCS executive director Bill Hancock said the 11 conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director would like to have it down to a few clear choices.

“I think that's what everyone wants to do. Get down to two, maybe three,” Hancock said. “I think we're making good progress on that. I think we're going to make it.”

One thing is clear: “The status quo is off the table,” Hancock said. It seems clear that by the 2014 season, the BCS as fans have known it will be gone.

Much of the focus this week has been on a four-team playoff with two national semifinals and a title game. That model comes with many variables, such as where the games will be played, how the teams will be picked and how the bowls fit in.

“I just want to make sure that the changes that we make are evolutionary,” said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, whose conference has a partnership with the Rose Bowl. “That they support the regular season. That they're from a Rose Bowl perspective, that they sustain that tradition. That we're also able to produce something that the public appreciates and supports.”